Getting back into the swing of things

In the middle of my film-making efforts, my computer started playing up. I think it was finding the whole process as stressful as I was. I even encountered the dreaded Blue Screen of Death for the first time, followed later by a message I had not seen before: "Windows has recovered from an unexpected shutdown." Having been through a rather rocky patch over the last month or so, with high levels of stress and anxiety and occasional moments when I was ready to pack it all in and come home, I think I can now say that I have recovered from my unexpected shutdown. My computer also seems to be back to normal!

Having left the teachers in peace during the month of May so that they could settle the new children in, we resumed our normal rounds of visits in June. At some centres we were encouraged to see that they were continuing to apply some of the ideas that we had shared, even after the school break in April. At others, progress seemed to have slipped back, and we felt as if we were starting again.

On Saturday we held our third workshop for all the teachers. This one focused on curriculum planning, physical development and creative activities. As usual, it was all very hands on, and teachers found themselves hopping around like frogs and being creative with potato printing, in between planning practical activities for curriculum delivery.

The creative activities session was designed to encourage teachers to see the value in allowing children to experiment with materials and be genuinely creative, rather than controlling the activity to such an extent that all children produce an identical piece of work, which tends to be the usual approach:

A fine example of what we are trying to encourage them NOT to do!

We discussed the importance of helping children to grow up to be independent thinkers and problem-solvers, and the role of creative activities in developing these skills and attitudes, before letting the teachers loose on a whole variety of materials with no specific instructions other than to be creative. I was quite impressed, given their usual tendency to be very formulaic in their approach to any creative challenge. They seemed to be taking the message on board. We'll see what happens in the classroom...

 

The workshop all went very well and according to plan, but I was glad to see it over as I was rather under the weather with some sort of stomach upset. I got through the day courtesy of Paracetamol and Loperamide, and collapsed gratefully into bed for the rest of the evening once I got home.

Making a Difference

The deed is done! It came very close to costing me a nervous breakdown, and I do not see a blossoming career as a film-maker ahead of me, but I finally finished putting together the film of my work here, and in time for Refugee Week in the UK.

The Refugee Week theme this year is "Different Pasts, Shared Future". With 50% of the world's refugees reported to be children and young people, Refugee Week is focusing on these young people, who demonstrate such resilience and determination in building a new future for themselves in the UK, and who will play an important and positive role in shaping future society.

I was struck by the echoes of my own reflections on the impact of the VSO Early Childhood project here in helping migrant children, through education, to take up a strong position and make a positive contribution to society as they grow up.

Those of you in the UK can make a difference by getting involved with Refugee Week events in your area, or by visiting the "Simple Acts" website and completing a Simple Act of Welcome, which will help change the way refugees are perceived and bring about positive change in your local community.

But first, grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy viewing "Making a Difference"!

 

I agree with Nick

I know it is terribly unfashionable these days to be seen to be in agreement with anything that Nick Clegg says. However, I am going to stick my neck out and say that when it comes to the importance of vigorously defending the UK's commitment to international development aid, I wholeheartedly agree with the comments he made in a recent speech.

When economic times are tough, it is very easy to get drawn in by the argument that Britain has enough of its own problems, without spending money to support development in other parts of the world. The real eye-opening moment for me came seven years ago when I joined a team from a small Italian NGO as a volunteer on a project working with children and families in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

We visited the homes of some of the families being supported by the project; tiny, one-room shacks not much bigger that a garden shed, cobbled together from whatever materials could be found and completely inadequate when it came to keeping out the rain. The entire family would live together in this one room, with no access to any type of washing, cooking or toilet facilities.

I kept a little diary of my thoughts and observations while I was there, and I can still vividly remember sitting on my bed in the little guesthouse where we were staying, struggling to put into words the emotions that were swirling round in my head. I realised that the only difference between me and the families that I had visited was where we happened to have been born. I had benefited from all the opportunities that come from growing up in a prosperous and politically stable country, and yet I realised that there was nothing about me that made me any more deserving of those opportunities than these children and their families.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that we are all born free and equal in dignity and rights. Fine words in theory, but in reality the geographical accident of our birth means that for many people trying to access the most basic of those rights is a lifelong struggle. I was nevertheless struck by the dignity of these people, and by the care, dedication and compassion of the staff of the local community based organisation that worked with the families to provide whatever support they could.

When I returned to Italy, I can remember being moved to indignant anger by the advertising campaign of a company selling electrical goods that had chosen the strapline "It's Your Right". I wanted to take a paintbrush to the hoardings on the metro and scrawl in huge letters "NO! Clean drinking water - that's a right. Access to basic education and healthcare - that's a right. The latest cinema-sized flat screen TV is not a right; it's a luxury!!"

I am not suggesting that we should not aspire to improving our own standard of living, or enjoy the benefits that come from living in a prosperous, developed country. However, I do think that perhaps we need to re-assess our perspective before asserting that, as a country, we have too many of our own problems to be able to lend a hand to those truly struggling against the odds.

The VSO project that I am working on here aims to improve the prospects for young migrant children growing up in Thailand by supporting them to make a really strong start to their education. Being successful in their education will be the key that will help them to break out from the marginalisation and poverty of the past and take up a strong and positive role in society in the future.

As a result of recent changes in Burma, many of the NGOs and other agencies that have been working on the border to support refugees and migrants are now moving to work within Burma instead. NGOs of course depend on funding from donors, and the pot is not bottomless. As donors shift their emphasis to Burma, the support for refugees and migrants in Thailand is gradually drying up. However, the reality for many refugees and migrants is that they have no safe home to return to and they will need to remain here in Thailand for years to come. A recent article published by Karen News highlights the concerns expressed by many organisations working on the border that deep cuts in international development aid mean that refugees are coming under pressure to return to Burma before it is really safe for them to do so.

Given the growing antipathy towards migrants that seems to be taking hold in the UK, I suppose I am being particularly optimistic to think that people will be moved by the plight of migrants to another country halfway round the world, but then that is the whole point of my argument. It doesn't matter where in the world people may find themselves - every human being is equally deserving of the same rights and opportunities and we should do whatever we can to make that a reality.